Venue

Season

Background

Szymanowski's music for the opera is opulently scored. The three short acts – commonly called the Byzantine, the Oriental and the Hellenic – brilliantly incorporate distinct musical styles. Kasper Holten's new production (The Royal Opera's first) finds in Roger's indecision an expression of the struggle we all face – the struggle between intelligence and instinct in what is the innate duality of human nature.

Pre-performance Talks

Join us in the Clore Studio Upstairs for an exciting introduction, which will ensure you get the most out of watching Król Roger. Tickets will be available when booking opens for Król Roger.

These talks will be led by Adrian Thomas, Emeritus Professor in the School of Music at Cardiff University. He spent three years on secondment to the BBC as Head of Music at Radio 3 and has been the Chair of Music at Gresham College, London, where he was subsequently elected a Fellow.

Adrian is a specialist on Polish music and is the founder-director of the School of Music's Central European Music Research Centre and has received awards from the Polish Composers' Union, the Polish Government (Order of Merit for Polish Culture) and the Lutoslawski Society.